The Stevens twins did it again. Kathleen and Joanna Stevens had the high school track & field world's jaw-dropping back in early December fresh off their top 10 performance at NXN when they dropped two of the fastest 3200 indoor performances all-time in Virginia high school history with a 10:26 run at Liberty University. Back on the same track in the middle of January for Liberty's Flames High School Invitational on Saturday, it was the 1600 meter run which the twin duo etched their name further as two of the all-time greats in Virginia high school history posting times of 4:53 respectively with the fastest unconverted 1600 meter performances times in the nation and fastest unbanked track time including converted mile races.
The Stevens twins got out fairly quick with a 72 first 400 meters before settling in with a 76 second 400 and 75 third 400 before switching into top gear for the final quarter, which they closed in 70 seconds unofficially with Kathleen as the winner in her first sub 5 performance at 4:53.1x and twin sister Joanna clipping at her heels in runner-up at 4:53.8x. Neither twin will be present for the Millrose Games as they will spike it up for the home crowd at the Virginia Tech Invitational that weekend instead, but will be making the trip Northeast in the following week to compete against an always fast and stellar high school mile field for the Boston Indoor Games.
While the only drama in the finish for the girls' 1600 meter run was which twin won, Kathleen or Joanna, the boys race played out with a little bit more strategy and two runners fighting each other off on the final eighth lap at the Tolsma Track Center in Lynchburg. The race featured two current US leaders in Chantilly senior Chris Foley having run a US #1 9:14 3200 last weekend at the Montgomery Invite, while Lee-Davis junior on the same day as Foley at CNU posted the nation's best at 1000 meters in a 2:31 performance. Not to be overlooked heading into the race was George Carter, a junior at Blacksburg High School who was the first runner in the nation this indoor season to dip under 4:20 for 1600 meters with a 4:19 performance in early December. He hit 4:19 again this weekend at the same Liberty University Track, but he did it the hard way.
A pedestrian 67 first 400 meters seemed to shoot all hope of a fast race, but Foley with only a 4:23 previous best at 1600 meters was anxious to rectify the slow early pace as he took charge and dropped a 65 next 400 and 63 second third 400 to put himself and a trailing Carter at 3:16 with 400 meters to go. Foley continued to press the pace into the next 200 meters, but Carter did not drop off and made his move with 150 meters to go which Foley tried hard to respond back. Carter held off Foley though as both runners were timed in at 4:19 unofficially, while Snyder never challenged either and finished in third at 4:23.
Lizzie Powell, Virginia's defending 3A state champion in the pole vault and more importantly, a cancer survivor, made her triumphant return to high school track & field on Friday in her first meet back after learning she had cancer following last May's outdoor state meet. While she is continuing to regain her endurance and strength lossed during the radiation treatment, she seemed pretty close to her top form and not rusty at all in her first meet back as she cleared 11'6" easily and made a good first attempt miss at 11'9" before missing the next two as the comfortable event winner. No competition or obstacle found at a track meet should pose as too much for the recent Virginia Tech verbal commitment to overcome after the mountain she climbed this summer and conquered this fall with the cancer in remission and Powell starting to become fully recovered.
Desi Scott of Prince George and Quentin Parker of Bassett were surprise winners in the first running event of the meet in the 300 meter dash. Scott won from a slower section for the girls, while Parker from the far outside lane took over the boys' fast section from favorite and state leader Adrian Vaughan of South Lakes, who struggled to finish with a possible an injury.